Tales of the Grey
by KittyRayne85
Summary: Follow a newly Harrowed Mage as she leaves the Circle that she has known all her life and works to rebuild an ancient order and fight a war on multiple fronts. Title is a work in progress and is subject to change.
1. The Morning After

**Prologue Part One: The Morning After**

Author: KittyRayne

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age. That honor goes to Bioware, and despite they're recent travesty of Mass Effect 3, they're work on DA was impressive and it is one of my favorite games in my currently library.

Maryna Amell jerked as she felt a hand touch her shoulder. "No!" she screamed. "Away, demon!" she began to lash out, one fist catching the assailant in the cheek. A yelp was her reward, coming from the throat of someone she realized she knew quite well.

"Ow! Hey, wait!" Her long-time friend, Jowan, said, flinching away from her. "I'm not a demon!"

Maryna opened her eyes, scowling at her friend. The both of them had watched over others in the past who had gone through their Harrowing. He should have known better than to shake her awake while she was trapped in that space between the Fade and the waking world. Those who were awakened forcefully tended to react violently.

"What do you want?" she asked sharply, pushing a strand of honey-colored hair out of her face. As she did so, she pushed a small amount of healing magic into her body, staving off the headache that was beginning to form. Belatedly she realized that Jowan was talking, asking her about the Harrowing. "You know that I can't tell you. Don't. Ask."

"Hmph, so much for friendship." Jowan pouted, crossing his arms across his chest. "And meanwhile you get to move into the nice mages quarters while I'm stuck here. And I don't know _when_ they'll send me to _my_ Harrowing."

"They'll send for you when they feel you're ready," Maryna growled as she pulled on her boots. "Maybe if you actually practiced your spells instead of sneaking off to the chapel you'd be ready. Besides, everyone goes through the Harrowing."

"Not everyon. You either go through the Harrowing, the Rite of Tranquility, or you die."

Maryna frowned and looked at her friend. He looked... uneasy. "They aren't going to kill you, Jowan."

"Well the Rite of Tranquility is even worse, isn't it? I mean, haven't you seen Owain? He's so cold. And his eyes are so blank, like he has no soul."

She rolled her jade green eyes while she was turned away from him. It wouldn't do to have Jowan angry at her so early in the day.

"Oh, before I go to my lessons, Irving wanted to see you once you woke up." He left quickly.

*Lessons,* Maryna thought sourly. *More likely that he's going to the chapel to moon over that new initiate.*

Jowan seemed to think that he was being smooth, sneaking around during lessons. The Templars were fairly oblivious to the fact, otherwise it wouldn't have gone on for this long, but the affair was well known among the apprentices.

Most apprentices thought that Jowan was being very foolish, dallying with a Chantry initiate. Others thought that he was using her as a cover for something else, and there was a rumor that Jowan was using his time away from lessons to practice blood magic. Such rumors, especially if they reached the ears of the Templars, were dangerous. It would mean stricter curfews, escorts to and from lessons, and Templars _inside_ the dorms instead of in the halls.

Reaching into the chest at the end of her bunk, Maryna quickly ran her brush through her waist-length locks, then with practiced ease began to plait it. Once she was finished she tied it off with a leather thong that had been dyed a rich blue. She returned her brush to her chest and quickly left the apprentices quarters. Walking as quickly as she could, she traversed the halls, pausing briefly as she traveled through the library to look for Jowan. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't there. Sighing softly, Maryna alighted the stairs, going to the second story of the Tower.

She waved to Owain as he stood in front of the stockroom, and he nodded in response. Maryna honestly didn't know _what_ Jowan was talking about. The Tranquil, while even-spoken and generally un-opinionated, still had emotion. You could see it in the subtle twitch at the corner of a mouth, or a minute crease beween the brows.

Continuing through the halls, Maryna stopped and smiled up at Cullen, one of the few Templars who was kind to the mages. She had always known that Cullen had a crush on her, and she had very gently told him, one day while she was studying, that while she was flattered that he thought her desireable, nothing could come of it. He was a Templar, who had forsaken women, while she was a mage. They were friends, and nothing more, though the gossips of the Tower thought the label to merely be a front.

"Good morning, Cullen," Maryna said.

"Good morning, Miss Amell. I am glad to see that you have awakened."

"Myself as well. I'm thankful that the Knight-Commander allowed you to stand at my Harrowing."

"And I, though I dreaded what would happen if you hadn't passed."

"Well then its a good thing that I did," Maryna quipped, grinning. "But I have to go. Irving wanted to speak with me."

"Of course," Cullen smiled. "Time to make you a full mage, officially."

She laughed as she continued down the hall, poking her head into the chapel as she went. A frown appeared on her face when she realized that Jowan wasn't _there_ either. As she continued towards Irving's office, she couldn't help but wonder where he was, and that led her to wonder if the rumors were true. Was Jowan using the Chantry initiate as a cover in order to practice blood magic? Such a thing would be a betrayel, not just to her - or the initiate - but to every other mage in the Circle.

Maryna stepped through the door of the First Enchanters office, freezing in place when she saw the Knight-Commander there, as well as and unknown, dark-skinned man. The three men were arguing, something about the mages who had journeyed south to aid the Kings army.

"Gentlemen, please," the stranger said, his voice having a strange lilt to it. "Irving, I believe someone is here to see you." He gestured towards her, causing the First Enchanger and Knight-Commander to turn their attention on her.

"Ah," Irving said genially. "If it isn't our newest sister in the Circle." He moved over to his desk, and brought back her staff, along with a bundle of gold and blue fabric that could only be her new mages robes. "Here is your staff, and your new robes," he told her. He then pulled a ring from his pocket. "And a ring signifying that you have passed your Harrowing."

"Your phylactery has been sent to Denerim for safe-keeping as well," Gregoir said, crossing his arms over his chest in a scrape of metal.

"Of course," she responded, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"I'm sorry, but, what is a phylactery?" the stranger interjected, looking genuinely confused.

"When an apprentice first comes to the Tower, a small vial of blood is taken and preserved," Irving explained evenly.

"So that they can be hunted if they turn apostate," the stranger added matter-of-factly.

"It is necessary, as proven by our constant flight-risk," Gregoir growled. "I need to go take care of some paper-work. Irving, I will return to speak to you later." With that said, the Knight-Commander left.

Irving sighed once Gregoir had left. "Now, my dear, allow me to introduce Duncan, of the Grey Wardens. You've heard about the war brewing int he south, no doubt."

"Just rumors," Maryna replied. "I heard that the King was mustering an army, and that most of the senior mages went south."

"Yes," Duncan said. "A horde of darkspawn is forming in the Kocari Wilds. I journeyed here hoping to gain a larger commitment from the mages." He glanced at Irving, who gave a resigned sigh.

"Unfortunately, that decision is up to the Knight-Commander, not myself," Irving said, shrugging helplessly. "But we should discuss such things later. Maryna, why don't you show Duncan to the guest quarters? They should be ready by now."

Maryna knew a dismissal when she heard one. She gestured for Duncan to follow her. He did so, in a screech of armor that made her cringe.

They were silent as they walked through the halls, Duncan's armor grating irritatingly. She brought him to the guest room and bowed slgihtly. "Your quarters, ser," she said.

"Thank you for escorting me, Miss Amell. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again later."

Maryna nodded and quickly left, going to the mages quarters.

Afterword:

Thus is the first chapter of Tales of the Grey. It's going to be a long one, and the first three chapters are actually just the prologue. Maryna Amell's story will go through the events of the first game. As this is a fanfiction, it will not be an exact retelling. Events will be altered in small ways to compensate for where I'm wanting this story to go. So please bear with me and I hope that you enjoy Maryna's story.


	2. The Escape Plan

**Prologue: Part Two - The Escape Plan**

Disclaimer: As per usual, I do not own Dragon Age.

Sighing happily as she flopped onto the plush bed in her new quarters, Maryna smiled. The bed was much more comfortable than her bed in the apprentice quarters. She had been surprised when she'd stepped around the bookcase/wall to find that the Tranquil had already moved her chest of belongings into the space between the armoir and vanity.

Quickly changing into her new robes, Maryna folded up the apprentice robes and placed them at the end of the bed. One of the Tranquil would probably be by during the evening meal and take away her old robes.

"Psst!"

Maryna turned and glared at Jowan, who had poked his head around the privacy bookcase. "You're supposed to be at lessons," she growled.

"I needed to talk to you," he said, his voice barely aove a whisper.

"About what? And why are you whispering?"

"I don't want anyone to overhear us," Jowan said. He looked around frantically.

"What are you going on about?" Maryna frowned. "Do you _want_ the Templars to think you're up to something?"

"Just... please, come with me." Jowan grabbed her hand, dragging her down the hall towards the chapel. As he neared the far corner of the chapel, he released her hand and darted forward, taking the hand of the Chantry initiate that was usually praying in this corner.

"You have got to be kidding me," Maryna grumbled to herself when they both turned to look at her. The temptation to go and find Irving was strong, but she decided that, as Jowan's friend, she owed it to him to hear them out. She moved closer and crossed her arms over her chest. "Talk."

"A... a few months ago I told you that I met a girl. This is Lily," Jowan said, smiling nervously.

Maryna couldn't keep the glare off of her face, and Jowan's smile faded. "You are dallying with a Chantry initiate. That's forbidden."

"So you can see why we've kept it a secret," the initiate said softly, drawing Maryna's chilled green gaze. She winced slightly and cringed.

"Lily's been given to the Chantry. She's not allowed to have relations with men," Jowan said, trying to draw Maryna's gaze away from Lily.

"That would be why she's an _initiate_," Maryna hissed. "Now you couldn't have possibly brought me here to tell me about your illicit affair, so what are you wanting to talk about?"

"I told you that I was afraid that they hadn't sent me for my Harrowing. Well, I've... They're going to make me Tranquil!"

Maryna froze, her through process halting momentarily. "Why would they do that?" she asked, though in the back of her mind she knew that Gregoir wouldn't do such a thing without reason. "Are you sure?"

"I saw the document on Gregoir's desk, and Irving had signed it," Lily said.

"As for why..." Jowan fidgeted. "There's a rumor that I'm... a blood mage. But, but I'm not! Soemone said that they saw me, but they were lying! Anytime I'm not in lessons or asleep, I'm with Lily."

Frowning, Maryna glanced away from the couple. She knew all of Jowans tells. Any time he lied, he would make a point of looking the person in the eyes and his earlobes would turn red. "So what are you going to do?"

"I need to escape. I need to destroy my phylactery."

Maryna's eyes widened when she realized the enormity of what Jowan was planning. "I... I need to think about this," she said, turning on her heel and leaving the chapel. Without hesitation she went to Irving's office. The First Enchanter looked up as she firmly shut the door. "Jowan plans to destroy his phylactery," she said without preamble.

Irving's grey eyes widened as he stared at her. She continued to talk, pacing the length of his office as she told him about her conversation with Jowan and Lily.

"Child, calm yourself," Irving said, standing and taking her hands in his own. "Jowan's affair with Lily was not unknown to me. However, this plan of Jowan's is troubling. Do you know any details?"

"No. I... I nearly broke down in panic right in front of them. I didn't stay to hear their plan. The only thing I could think about was getting to you."

"I'm glad that you thought to tell me of this, child," Irving said. "But in order to stop this, I will need proof to take to Gregoir."

"Proof?"

"Learn their plan first, then return to me. We shall decide what to do then," Irving said, smiling at her gently.

Maryna nodded curtly, dread gnawing at her insides as she turned and left Irving's office. She truly had no idea what she was supposed to do in this situation. Her first instinct had been to go to Irving, but now she had a gnawing in her gut that wouldn't abate. Jowan was her friend. She should help him, no matter what the rumors say or if his relationship is forbidden.

She spent hours pacing the halls of the tower, trying to come to a decision about Jowan. As she stood in the Library, scanning over a tome of healing magics, she came to a decision. It did not matter that Jowan was breaking the rules by having a relationship with Lily; he was her friend. She should help him find the happiness that he wanted. Putting the book away, Maryna moved to the Apprentices Quarters.

"Jowan," she said her friends' name softly. The young man looked up and his eyes widened when he saw her standing there.

"Maryna! We thought you'd decided against helping us," he said softly.

"I... I panicked," Maryna softly confessed. "But I realized that it doesn't matter that you're breaking the rules. You and Lily are in love. You deserve to be happy. And just because I'm scared of what _might_ happen, doesn't mean that I shouldn't help you. So, what's the plan?"

Jowan told her the plan, and the two of them fleshed out the minor details before they decided that it would be best to do this sooner, rather than later int he night. There was no telling when Greagoir would take Jowan for the Rite, and secretly Maryna worried that Irving would go to the Knight-Commander about what she had mistakenly told him.

"Go find Lily and wait for me in the Chapel. I'm going to get a Rod of Fire from the stockroom," Maryna said, smiling at her friend.

Jowan nodded and darted off, a grin threatening to break his face in half. Maryna shook her head as she smiled softly. It was worth it, just to see the look on his face.

Climbing the stairs, Maryna walked calmly over to Owain. "Hello, Owain. I was wondering if you had a Rod of Fire in stock. I've been having some trouble with fire spells since my Harrowing, and I'd like to have one just in case."

"Of course, Maryna. You will just need to have this form signed by a senior enchanter," Owain said evenly, pulling a roll of vellum from the pouch of forms that he kept at his side.

Nodding, Maryna smiled as she took the form. She knew just who to have sign it. Senior Enchanter Elora owed her a favor since she took care of a small infestation of spiders earlier in the week. Once that was done and she'd returned the form to Owain, Maryna couldn't stop the self-satisfied smile that appeared on her face. Before night fell, Jowan and Lily would be free.

Afterword: And so the trigger is set for Maryna to leave the Tower. Next is the Vaults, and Maryna's subsequent expulsion from the Tower. I hope that everyone has enjoyed this so far, and also that everyone keeps with me as I work on both ToTG and Healing the Moon.


	3. Leaving the Tower

**Prologue: Part Three - Leaving the Tower**

Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Dragon age, no matter how much I may wish it.**  
**

Lily and Jowan both nearly bowled into her when she entered the Chapel. Lily looked expectant and frightened, while the look on Jowan's face was nothing short of euphoric bliss.

"We should go now, while everyone is at dinner," Maryna said softly. "Nearly all of the Templars will be in the dining hall."

"Of course," Lily said. "And there won't be any in the entrance hall. We can go into the vaults undetected."

"We should probably head down there now, so that we have plenty of time while they're at dinner," Jowan said, his voice suddenly showing how nervous he was about this.

Maryna smiled at her long-time friend. "Everything will be fine, Jowan. Before dawn tomorrow you and Lily will both have exactly what you really deserve."

Smiling, the three of them journeyed down to the door that led to the vaults. Humming softly to herself, Maryna tried the door-knob, nearly grinning when the door simply popped open. She looked over her shoulder at the lovers who stood nervously behind her. "Let's go."

The three of them stepped through the door, Maryna quickly scanning the hall to make sure no one saw them before quietly closing the door. Lily had gone on ahead, stopping at a door that Maryna could feel was locked with some kind of magic. "This is known as the Victim's Door, and is made of 277 planks; one for each original Templar. It is a reminder of the danger that those with magic pose. The door can only be opened by a Templar and a Mage entering together."

Maryna looked at the door. "How does that work?" she asked. "And how do you know all of this?"

"The Chantry provides the password, and the mage releases the door with mana. As for how I know this; all who are part of the Chantry must learn its history." Lily turned to the door and set her hand against it. "Sword of the Maker; Tears of the Fade." Glancing back at Maryna, Lily nodded. "Now you must touch the door with mana. Any spell will do, but you must hurry."

Stepping forward, Maryna set her hand against the door as Lily had done, and called forth her mana, encasing her hand in ice. The door opened automatically, and the three of them grinned at each other.

This time it was Jowan that ran ahead, towards the door that was directly in front of them. "Do you have the rod with you?" he asked, turning back to Maryna as she and Lily calmly walked over to him.

Maryna pulled the rod from inside her sleeve, and carefully touched it against the lock. The rod sparked a few times, but after a moment the magic died down, as if surpressed. "What the..?"

"Is the rod broken?" Jowan asked, panic starting to creep into his voice.

"No, wait," Lily interjected. "Look at these wards on the door!"

The three of them did so, Maryna feeling dread seep into her gut. "Of course! How do you ensure that Mages can't get into a room? Null their magic!"

"That explains why Greagoir and Irving have simple mundane keys!" Lily added. "That's it then, we're finished."

"Wait, what about that door?" Maryna asked, noticing a door at the end of the hall. "Why don't we try that? Maybe there's another way into the Repository."

"It's worth a try," Jowan said.

They moved over to the door, and Maryna set the rod against the lock. The rod flamed red-hot for a moment, and the door swung open suddenly. "Yes!" Jowan exclaimed.

Suddenly the two statues that had stood at either side of the door moved, and attacked. It didn't take much to put the animated statuary down, and they continued down the hall. As they moved further into the vaults, they killed anything that attacked them. Finally they reached a door that, when they opened it, they were surprised at the sight that greeted them. The room that they'd entered was full of all sorts of magical artifacts; from statues to amulets.

Maryna slowly walked through the vault, while Lily and Jowan were looking for a way into the Repository. "These artifacts are amazing," she said softly as her eyes stopped on a dark-oak staff that was leaning against a statue. The staff was wrapped in blue leather for a better grip, topped with a deep blue crystal, and ended with an obviously-sharp blade. Taking the staff in hand, Maryna was surprised at how _right_ it felt in her grip.

"Hey, we found something!" Jowan called to her.

Moving over, the staff still in hand, Maryna smiled at them. Jowan showed her the statue that he'd found, along with the wall that was nearly crumbling behind a bookcase. "This looks like one of those spell amplification tools that the ancient Tevinter's used to use," she said, looking the statue over. "Jowan, help me move this bookcase." It took a bit of manuevering, but after a few minutes the bookcase was moved.

"Wow," Jowan said softly, once the two of them got a good look at the wall. "This looks like it'll come down with just a simple push." He tried, then grinned sheepishly at Maryna as she shook her head at him.

Pushing a strand of hair out of her face, Maryna stepped behind the statue. "Out of the way, Jowan," she said, grinning. "We wouldn't want you to get injured on accident."

Jowan moved, and Maryna pointed the rod at the statue. The tip sparked briefly, then a fireball shot from the mouth of the statue. All three yelped and jumped away from the fireburst, and the subsequential crumbling of the wall. "That was amazing!" Jowan exclaimed.

"That was dangerous!" Maryna snapped. "I hardly even pushed any mana into the rod and _that_ happened!"

"Enough, you two," Lily said calmly, though there was a slight waver in her voice. "The repository is open to us. We should hurry and find Jowan's Phylactery."

It didn't take them long to find Jowan's Phylactery, and he was quick to destroy the small vial of blood. "I'm free," he said softly.

"Now lets get you two out of the Tower," Maryna said softly.

They left the Repository quickly, and as they left the vaults and topped the stairs, Maryna giggled. "We did it!" She looked up, and her smile froze on her face as she saw Greagoir and Irving standing there, five Templars with them; Cullen among them. "Uh-oh," she said softly.

"It appears as if you were correct, Irving," Greagoir said stifly. "The initiate appears to be conspiring with the Blood Mage of her own volition." His stern gaze fell on Maryna. "And this one is newly Harrowed and already throwing aside the rules of the Circle."

"Maryna, why have you done this?" Irving asked her softly.

"Because Jowan is my friend, and you were going to make him tranquil!" Maryna said sharply.

"We'll deal with _you_ later, Amell," Greagoir snapped. "Lily, seeing as you have knowingly aided a blood mage, and have betrayed your own vows, you are to be sent to Aeonar."

Two Templars stepped forward. "No," Lily said softly.

"Stop!" Jowan snarled, pulling a knife from his belt and cutting his palm. "You will not touch her!" Using the blood that welled from the cut, Jowan knocked back all of the Templars. Maryna let out a startled cry as she was caught up in the attack and knocked out.

When she came to, Lily was curled up where she had once stood, crying into her knees. Standing, her hands already glowing a soft green, Maryna rushed over to Irving and Greagoir, healing both before doing the same to the other Templars. Once the Templars and Irving were up, everything happened so fast that Maryna wasn't entirely sure what was going on. All she knew was that Duncan was taking her away from the Tower; away from the place that had been her home for as long as she could remember.

"You are not meant for this life, Maryna," Irving said as she tried to hand him the staff that she'd taken from the Vaults. "Keep this staff. It was always meant to be yours. And stay safe."

Maryna nodded and turned away from Irving. She waved goodbye to Cullen and Greagoir before shouldering the pack that they had given to her and turning to follow Duncan.

A/N: So here is Chapter 3! I actually couldn't stop writing until I finished this, so I hope that everyone enjoys it. This chapter marks the end of the Prologue, and the beginning of the rest of the story. Next will be the arrival at Ostagar, and the sub-sequential meetings that happen there.

Please review!


	4. Arrival at Ostagar

**Tales of the Grey**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Dragon Age, but Maryna is mine.

**Author's Notes:** I apologize that it's taken so long for this new chapter to come out, but I had a great number of things to deal with before I even worked on posting stories. Chief among those was moving and losing a box of notebooks to sheer idiocy (which caused me to have to start all over in regards to both **Tales** and **Healing**. But things are better now, so I hope to start updating at least three times a month.

**Chapter One: Arrival at Ostagar**

Sighing softly, Maryna pushed a strand of hair out of her face. She and Duncan had been traveling for the last two weeks, almost non-stop, and she couldn't wait to arrive at Ostagar. Traveling for so long, when she had never even left the Tower, did not agree with her. Maryna was tired, her muscles ached, she had blisters on her feet, and she wanted nothing more than to take a long, hot bath.

"There it is; Ostagar," Duncan's voice interrupted Maryna's thoughts. Looking at her new mentor, Maryna followed his gaze and could not stop her jaw from dropping in wonder. "It was a Tevinter fortress once," the Warden-Commander stated. "Much like the Circle Tower. Ostagar was the staging grounds to hold back the tide of Wildlings. It is fitting that we make our stand here, though we face a greater foe."

Even from this distance, Maryna could see the bustle of the Kings' camp. "I suppose the Imperium loved their Towers," she mused.

Chuckling, Duncan gestured for her to follow him. The two of them passed through an ancient stone arch, Maryna glancing up at the Tower that they were passing. "It's called the Tower of Ishal," she was informed by Duncan.

"Ho, there! Duncan!" An exuberant voice called out, drawing Maryna's gaze away from the tower, and to the golden man that was striding towards them, two guards at his back. At first Maryna couldn't quite believe that anyone would wear _gold_ armor, but the proof was standing before her, grinning like a child on Feastday.

"King Cailan!" Duncan exclaimed, his mahogany eyes widening slightly.

Maryna's eyes widened as well. _This_ was the King? This over-grown child who looked like he was wearing his father's armor? He looked more like a bard than a king.

"Didn't expect me to come greet you, eh?" The king chuckled impishly. "Well I got tired of listening to Loghain drone on about strategy and such. I thought I'd see if you were on your way. And what luck, for here you are."

*Teryn Loghain is here?* she thought to herself as she watched the two men interact. The king seemed like an over-eager puppy going on about glory and legends, while Duncan was more of a calming force who seemed to simply be humoring the man.

"Well, I must go, before Loghain sends out a search party." The king left, followed closely by his guards.

"He's an idiot," Maryna huffed. Duncan glared at her and she shrugged. "There is no glory in war, save for those who survive. And ignoring this kingdoms best General, just because he wants to play at war, is foolish."

"Mmm. I agree, but I cannot simply tell the King that he should listen to his General."

Nodding, Maryna followed Duncan as he began walking across the bridge that led to the King's camp. "What was all that about dragon's in the wild?"

"The archdemon is a great dragon. If it had appeared, there would have been dragons in the wilds that were under its control. I _know_ that there is an archdemon behind this, but I cannot ask the king and his army to act on my feelings." He paused as they came to the King's camp. "Now, I must speak with Loghain. There are two more recruits other than yourself. I'd like you to seek them out and tell them to meet outside of my tent. When you're done with that, seek out Alistair. He's the most junior Warden of our order and will be overseeing your test this afternoon."

"Test?" she asked, but Duncan was already walking away. Huffing, Maryna started to explore the camp. She made a point of ignoring the Templars who were guarding the Mage's camp, but she did speak briefly with Wynne about what had happened at the Tower. The old mage had been her mentor in healing magic, and Maryna felt obligated to tell her about her entrance into the Grey Wardens.

After she and Wynne were finished talking, Maryna stopped at the kennels, staring in wonder at the Mabari hounds. One in particular caught her eye; a tan hound with a lighter muzzle and belly, caught her eye. The poor thing looked sick, and Maryna turned her attention to the kennel master that stepped up beside her. "Poor beasts' master died in one of the skirmishes out in the wilds. He took in too much darkspawn blood besides that, and he won't let anyone near him now," the man told her.

"I can try to heal him," Maryna said, feeling bad for the poor creature.

The man shook his head. "Won't work. Already had a couple of those circle mages over here. I've got some medicine for him that some of the scouts brought back, but I need him muzzled first."

Maryna took one of the muzzles off of the fence and went into the kennel, ignoring the kennel master as he objected. She moved closer to the ill Mabari, and once she was a couple of feet from him, she settled down onto her knees. "Come here, boy," she said softly, holding out a hand. The Mabari opened golden eyes and looked at her. "Come on."

He shuffled forward on his belly, resting his head in her lap. "Good boy," Maryna cooed as she gently put the leather muzzle on him. "There you go, boy. Now let's let that nice man get you all healed up, huh?" She looked at the kennel master and smiled brightly at his stupefied face. The two men standing next to the kennel master, however, gave her pause.

"Never seen a Mabari take to someone like that before," the man said as he opened the gate for her. "Best get him treated then. Thanks miss."

"That was very brave of you, Miss," one of the two men who had been watching said. This one was taller with closely-cropped red hair and a pudgy face. He was wearing heavy armor, but not of the kind that she was used to seeing on a Templar. "I'm Ser Jory, a knight of Redcliffe and a Grey Warden recruit."

"And I'm Daveth, beautiful maiden, a cut-purse from Denerim. Duncan recruited me after I stole from him," the shorter, leaner, dark-haired man introduced himself, grinning impishly as he took her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

Maryna blushed slightly and took her hand back from the man. "I am Maryna Amell, sers, recently of the Circle Tower."

"Oh!" Ser Jory exclaimed, his face paling considerably. "Y-you're a m-mage?"

Both Maryna and Daveth looked at the taller man quizzically. "Yes," Maryna said slowly. "Is this a problem?"

"N-no. I just... I-it's nothing. I'm... I'm sure that D-Duncan wouldn't h-have recruited you i-if you weren't c-capable."

"Well, I'm grateful at least, that our fellow recruit is such a beautiful and capable woman," Daveth said, grinning at her.

"How did you know I was a fellow recruit?" Maryna asked them.

"We ran into Duncan a bit ago," Daveth said. "He told us that you were looking around the camp for us, and Alistair. We saw him heading up towards the northern side of the camp. Probably to talk to one of the mages." He chuckled. "I heard the Revered Mother has been picking on him."

Maryna raised an eyebrow at that. "Why would she do that?"

"Dunno. Maybe she just doesn't like his face. We've both met him a few times and the bloke can't seem to take anything seriously," Daveth shrugged. "But me and Ser Knight will go ahead and go over to Duncan's tent, wait there."

Nodding, Maryna watched the two men walk away. Glancing around, Maryna headed towards a pair of brightly-colored tents. As she neared them, however, she heard yelling from the smaller of the tents. Just as she decided it would be best to avoid them, the flap of the tent flew open and a tall man in silverite armor stormed out. His black hair was longer than what she'd seen on most of the soldiers, and his face - while aged - was unconventionally handsome.

The man stopped when he saw her, the frown on his face deepening slightly. "You aren't one of the mages who's been here for weeks," he stated firmly, his ice-blue eyes narrowing slightly.

"No, ser. Duncan recruited me from the Circle a fortnight ago."

He blinked at her. "I see. So you're the young woman that Cailan wouldn't shut up about. He said that you seemed completely awestruck by him. Wouldn't even talk."

That caused Maryna to frown. "He's an over-grown child playing at war. Why in Maker's name would I be _awestruck_ by him? I was simply considering the intelligence of wearing gold armor into battle. If anyone in this camp would cause me to become _awestruck_, it would be Teryn Loghain."

Raising an eyebrow at her, he smirked. "Oh? And why is that?"

"Teryn Loghain is a brilliant strategist," Maryna smiled. "There were all kinds of books in the Circle about the Orleisian occupation and the battles that took place. I used to sit in the library during my free time and read those books, imagining how things would have changed if the Tower had actually helped." She flushed slightly at seeing the man's amused smirk. "Forgive me, ser. My mentors at the Tower often said that my mouth would get me into trouble."

"No forgiveness is needed, madam. I, too, sometimes wonder how things had played out if the Circle allowed its mages more freedom. But perhaps that is a conversation for another time. You appeared to be somewhat lost."

Ducking her head, Maryna hoped that the man couldn't see her cheeks stained with crimson. "Well, as you are aware, ser, I haven't been outside of the Tower for very long. I don't really do very well with directions." She looked up and met his eyes. "Could you direct me to the northern part of the camp?"

He chuckled and nodded, gently taking her elbow and turning her back in the direction that she'd come from. "Continue this direction, past the preaching harpy and the Master at Arms and head up the ramp."

"I see. Thank you," Maryna smiled at the man.

"Loghain, get back here. We aren't done talking about this!" the voice of the king came from the tent that the man had exited from earlier.

Maryna blinked and looked at the king, then slowly turned her gaze to the man in front of her. "T...Teryn... Loghain?"

He gave a long-suffering sigh in response and nodded. "Go on, girl. Before my son-in-law thinks that you're awestruck by him once more." With that he turned and returned to the tent.

The young mage continued to stare after him, the blush on her face causing her to do a reasonable impression of a tomato "That was... And I made a complete fool of myself." Groaning, she headed in the direction that the Teryn had pointed her in, hoping that by the time she came across Alistair that her embarrassment would pass.

* * *

Well, that's it for Chapter One. I hope that everyone who's been following **Tales** has enjoyed this chapter. I had a great deal of fun writing it, especially Maryna's first encounter with Loghain. *Evil Grin*


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